Up and Over
by wrenwilde
Summary: Katherine Greene, the new president of Bane Industries-Tokyo, is finding navigating within the Japanese elite difficult, working with Kyoya Ootori on a joint venture, even more so. Hanami Tanaki, Kat's best friend, is returning to Japan for the first time after being disowned. Handling a high profile case puts her back in contact with some old friends.
1. Chapter 1

Even in early March, not exactly peak traveling season, JFK was still a bustle of activity. Business men and women in sharp suits speaking quickly into the mic of their headphones or typing furiously on touchscreens-the manic tapping out of time with the clacking of fancy shoes on polished linoleum. Babies crying. Parents desperately trying to maintain order over their children. Groups of people huddling together-attempting to match boarding passes with the departures board. Loved one's anxiously awaiting their special someone to walk through the gate.

Two women sat quietly in a coffee shop observing the madness. Katherine Greene, age 29, fiddled with the lid of her latte. Her red was was frizzy and pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. The case could be made that she hadn't even brushed it before twisting it into a knot and tying a ponytail holder around it. This assumption would be correct and not an uncommon occurrence. Katherine sat cross-legged in worn blue-jeans, a long-sleeved, brown, jersey knit top with a flannel shirt, which was too large, over top. This ensemble was a stark contrast with her companion. Hanami Tanaki rarely had a hair out of place. The 31 year-old Japanese woman was wearing a knee-length pencil skirt with a silk top tucked in. Her silky hair barely touched the top of her shoulders and her fringe reached the top of her eyebrows.

The two women outwardly did not appear to have much in common, and that would be correct. Despite having been inseparable for over a decade, the two did not have many common interests. They met at NYU, both during their third year of university. However, Katherine was only 18 at the time, having been accepted at the age of 16. Katherine was smart, smarter than most, but would never call herself a genius. She was simply a hard worker who got bored easily. But mostly she got her GED early and enrolled in university in order to become legally emancipated. The government wouldn't recognize her brother Francis as her legal guardian because he was neither biologically related to her nor was he ever in one place for long-being a deported Marine and all. There was no way she was going to get put back in the system. So she simply became an adult legally a bit earlier than most. Hell, she never really had much of a childhood to begin with. And then there was Hanami, whose father was the owner of a major corporation, never wanted for anything. She went to elite schools and went to college in New York more for the location than the education. Not that her grades were poor, elite schools were competitive afterall and she found her first couple of years taking general education classes easy and barely had to study. She lived in a nice apartment in Manhattan. But all of that came crumbling down with two phone calls.

The first was her father telling her that she was to be married. That call ended with Hanami's refusal. The second was her father calling to inform her that she was disowned. Katherine was present for that particular conversation-sitting on the opposite bench inside Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. While Katherine was not fluent in Japanese by any means, it was her foreign language of choice and she was picking it up quite quickly, she understood the basic situation. Katherine wasn't the kind of person to actively engage with other people, an introvert by nature, but something about the sheer look of hurt and fear in this girl's face made her walk over and ask was she all right. And that was that. With nowhere to go Hanami moved in with Katherine in her tiny studio flat in Brooklyn. Katherine knew how to survive on her own without much money. She was street smart. Within 48 hours, she helped Hanami close out her bank accounts before her father could freeze them, convinced the doorman at Hanami's apartment to let her into her home long enough to take her take her belongings, and helped Hanami work out a deal with the university to receive a scholarship so that she could finish out her senior year. Katherine even helped her get a job as a barista. A girl in Katherine's journalism course was the manager there and Megan was more than happy to have a pretty girl working the counter. By the end of the summer, between both of their jobs (Katherine had an assistantship and worked at the ISAW library), selling Hanami's designer clothes to some upscale consignment stores, and money that Francis sent over, the two girls could afford a small two-bedroom still in Brooklyn. It was small, but at least Hanami wasn't stuck on the couch living out of a suitcase. Hanami was never more excited to see a door.

They lived together up until now, through graduate school, new jobs, climbing the career ladder. It never felt right, or necessary to live apart. Though once Katherine had a prominent job as the head of Bane Industries PR and Hanami was an accomplished lawyer who handled financial cases at at prestigious firm, the apartment, still in Brooklyn, got bigger. But that was about to change. Katherine had been offered the Presidency of BI's new Tokyo office after a stint as COO in New York. This would be the first time in twelve years the two women hadn't shared an address.

"Do you remember everything I told you?" Hanami broke the silence.

Katherine let out a sigh.

"You literally made a diagram of all of the prominent families in Japan. As fascinating as your past life as a Tokyo socialite was…. I just don't see the point in having all of that information running through my head."

Hanami put her hands on her hips and fixed Katherine with her most intimidating stare, which in reality was not very intimidating. At 5'5 she was not especially tall, that accompanied by her slight frame, did not cut a very imposing figure.

"Look, you're going to the President of Bane Industries' new Tokyo office. You're only 29 and a woman. That accompanied with the fact that you're a foreigner is not going to garner you a lot of respect. As much as I know you hate it, you're going to have to play the social field. Everything works on social currency. If you make friends with the right people, others won't bother you because they'll be intimidated. But, if you make enemies, you've made enemies of all of their friends as well. You need to be careful about stepping on people's toes...which, let's face it, isn't your strong suit."

Katherine cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright fine. Run through it again, but please, give me the abridged version."

"Ok, so the biggest families are the Suohs, Ootoris, Hitachiins, Morinozukas, and the Haninozukas. But, the business will probably only overlap with the Suoh's and Ootoris. The Satos and Inoues are also big in the tech business."

"Weren't those first few part of the club you were obsessed with when we first met?"

"...Yes but that's besides the point. Plus I'm no longer _obsessed_ and I've grown up. I'm in my 30s now and a very successful lawyer. My boy crazy days are over."

"So when I inevitably run into this gaggle of handsome men should I mention that I've been living with Tanaka Hanami for, like, twelve years? Maybe throw in the fact that-wow you're all really shitty friends?"

Hanami huffed.

"Look, ever since my father disowned me, everyone from high school, friends, acquaintances, teachers, my family, have treated me like a piriha. Now, it's not like the host club kept in contact with me after graduation anyways, we weren't really friends...I realize that now, I was a client, just another girl with a crush. But I always held out the hope that they would sweep in and save me, or offer to help in some way-like they were duty bound or something. It took years for me to get over that. I think I was using them as a crutch. Better to fixate on them than the friends that I talked to all of time who just dropped me like a hot potato, or the fact that I haven't spoken to my parents or sister for twelve years. What I'm trying to get at is that I know that you are going to dislike these people on principle because of me. But like I said, you don't need to step on any toes. At least in the beginning. A lot of people do business with my father. You don't need to mess this up because of me."

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows, her long lashes brushing against them in the process. Her hazel eyes bore into Hanami light brown ones.

"I'm not going to abandon...o-or...or pretend that I don't know you just to help my career and social standing."

"I know...and I love you for that...I'm not saying lie or anything, but just be mindful people there are more judgemental than people here in New York...and that's saying something. Don't let that ginger temper of yours get the better of you... But do me one favor...don't go over there and fall in love and marry Morinozuka...just because I'm over my highschool crush does not mean I'm ok with being the maid of honor at his wedding."

Katherine fixed her with a blank stare.

"I think I can handle that."

"It's going to be weird living a part. Are you sure all of your living arrangements and everything's set up?"

"Yeah...it sucks...quite honestly I can't imagine living without you. We've been roomies for so long. It'll be too quiet without you getting up in the middle of the night for a snack. And yeah...Terry tried to get me to live in the apartment in the new tower, but I knew that I would never leave the office if that happens. But Terry being Terry wasn't having it. Flora busted into his office and demanded that he reallocate my living expenses. So now I have a nice house in a cute little neighborhood...which is probably the weirdest thing I've ever said. It's nothing fancy, despite Terry Bane's protests, but I don't want a mansion or a penthouse. But, it's got plenty of space so when you come and visit, you'll always have a place to stay."

"Flora is a force to be reckoned with. Hell, she can get the CEO of Bane Industries to do whatever she wants. And you know I will. I'm spending Christmas with you." Hanami let out a sigh. "Please don't work yourself to death. You have to take breaks. I'm leaving Flora with a specific set of instructions."

"God knows I'd be lost without my little Scottish dynamo. I'm so glad she agreed to come with me. I need my Moneypenny. Speaking of helping people..." Katherine took a sip of her latte, wincing at the overly milky taste. "You'll look in on Francis won't you? Just make sure he has something in his apartment besides take-out and coffee. Oh... and please make sure he doesn't adopt another dog. He needs to stop taking in strays."

"What? Strays like us?" laughed Hanami.

Katherine laughed jovially.

"Don't worry about Francis. I'll keep up Sunday brunches and check in on him. You do realize that he's a grown man?"

"It's only brunch because he can't get his ass up early enough to go to breakfast." Katherine muttered darkly. "He may be grown and he's perfectly capable of taking care of other people, just not himself. You know he gets depressed. I worry that he'll fall into a rut when I'm gone."

"You know I'll look out for him. You two are my family. He'll be fine. If he's not, I'll let you know."

Katherine nodded her head in thanks.

"The good thing about Terry's over-protectiveness combined with his insistence on annoying me to death, he'll be visiting Tokyo frequently and Francis being his head of security slash personal bodyguard, I'll see him on a semi regular basis." Katherine paused. "You'll video chat and call and text right? And if you need anything, you'll let me know...right?"

"You know I will, but you also need to stop worrying about me. I'm not the girl who didn't even know how to do laundry."

The two friends reached out and took each other's hands. They shared a smile. Katherine let out a sigh and checked her gold digital timex. "I better head to my gate. I don't want to get stuck in security. Flora's going to pick me up and I'll give you a call once I get in the car."

They hugged and said their farewells.

As she watched Katherine disappear into the crowd, Hanami pulled out her phone and dialed. She waited a few minutes for the person on the other line to pick up. "Watanabe-san. This is Tanaki Hanami. I know this may be out of the blue, but that job you offered me last year...would you still have a position available?" she said in Japanese.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kat!" a voice shouted over the crowd. Katherine Greene turned quickly to see her executive assistant furiously waving and bouncing on her toes. Flora Monroe was a short curvy young woman of 26. Her wavy strawberry hair was braided in pigtails. Flora had an eclectic sense of style-a peach colored fuzzy sweater over a light blue button up, a polka dotted skirt and plum tights, and Mary Jane heels finished off her outfit today. Flora started working for Katherine straight after college and hadn't left her side since. Living in New York away from her family in Inverness was difficult and Katherine worried that Flora wouldn't adjust well moving even farther away. After a long talk with Flora, making sure that she was one hundred percent okay with the move, the two women came to an arrangement. A significant raise and extra vacation time along with access to the company jet whenever she was feeling particularly homesick, solidified Flora's position. Not only was Flora the best assistant Katherine could ever ask for, but the girl was smart as a whip, organized, and above all-brash in the most professional way. She was stubborn and got done what she needed to get done. She was also a good friend-bonding over long nights and take out, the two fell into an easy rapport.

Katherine slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried over to meet Flora. The two hugged and exchanged pleasantries.

"I figured we could head to your house first, get you settled, and then go and pick up your car, maybe get some groceries, maybe some dinner, and go over your upcoming schedule."

"Or we could go to the office first. There are still floors that are under construction and the press release about my position is going out in a couple of days. We are going to get a huge influx of requests for meetings, proposals, all kinds of things to sort through. It would be best to get the ball moving."

"Or we could do what I said seeing as you just got off of a fourteen and a half hour flight, not to mention passing through 14 times zones. I won't have you running off of a combination of coffee, Irish breakfast tea, and pastries...not when you've just got here. Plus I'm under orders from Hana to make sure you function like a normal human being."

Katherine smacked Flora playfully on the arm.

"Alright Moneypenny, I will comply to your request. But after that, I'll be wearing the boss pants. How are you settling in? I appreciate you coming up before me to start getting things straight. I had to make sure my replacement was well and settled before I hopped on the plane. It's been a bloody nightmare."

"Oh aye, I'm fine. It's nice to be able to drive on the correct side of the road again." Flora smirked.

Kyoya Ootori was frustrated, something that rarely happened. Bane Industries had just announced their new president of the Tokyo branch, one K. Greene. Only a brief statement about the new staff. Whenever he called to try and get more information, he only received basic instructions about how to set up an appointment or to send business proposals. Hardly enough information and Kyoya always had a well of information. His father was pushing him to get a meeting as soon as possible, but the people at BI weren't budging. It was an odd tactic...a power play. A proverbial moat around a castle. We control who enters; we are in charge.

Being made to wait was not something that the Ootori's were accustomed to. Kyoya was also having a hard time finding information about Greene. He only knew that Greene was a woman because of the pronouns used in the press release and other write ups. All that was to be found was press statements during her time in PR and about her effectiveness during her short time as COO, probably just a warm up or check before Bane handed over the presidency. Or, possibly, the COO position was a more of a formality. Bane was known for his odd choice in higher ups. He prided himself on people and trust, rather than simply skill or an impressive resume. But the board wouldn't just let him give a presidency to a PR agent. A good, if not short, tenure as COO would quell the board of any misgivings. From what he could tell, Greene started working in the PR department after receiving a BA in English and Journalism and an MA in English from NYU. While working at BI Greene also earned an MBA from Columbia. Not a lot to go off of. No first name, no photo, hell, he couldn't even find anything on social media. All of this made Kyoya feel extremely unprepared, but he had to keep his cool. He would go through the channels set up by BI, and once the ball started moving, he would have more information and use it to his advantage.

The Ootori group was making promising strides in the applications of nanotech for medical purposes. But, their expertise was in just that: medicine. A deal with BI would help with the technological side of things. They were the best in the business and the Ootoris would only work with the best. Plus there was the added bonus of having a strong connection with an American based company. He had to get this right. Kyoya, now in his early thirties, was so close to taking over from his father he could practically taste it. His eldest brother was doing, quite frankly, amazing work in their research department and oversaw the operations on that end. Running the company would take away from that. Yuuichi would never turn down or renounce his claim as heir to the company, but he wasn't exactly fighting for it either. And, as for Akito, having received his MBA, he was helping more on the business side of things, but wouldn't fight or challenge his elder brothers claim. In fact, Akito seemed more inclined to attempt to block Kyoya than make a play for himself. Akito lived by the book and believed just because Yuuichi was the first born, that it was his right to run the company. This irked Kyoya to no end, but it had not been problematic...not yet.

This was a bad idea. Kyoya knew it, why couldn't his father? A week and a half since he had sent out his proposal and they hadn't heard anything back from BI expect for a short email from Greene's executive assistant, one Flora Munro, stating that the proposal had been received. Flora Munro, originally from Scotland, earned a degree in business admin from Columbia and then began working for BI. He had a picture of her at least via her facebook page, which was unfortunately private. She was very pale with freckles splashed across her nose, a week jaw and large cheeks. Her bright green eyes were expressive; he could tell that much from her photo alone. He was thumbing through the file in the car, which was relatively silent. He tried to talk he father out of this before they got in the car, but Yoshio wasn't hearing any of it. He decided that they would go up to BI themselves and demand a meeting. The Ootori's would not be kept waiting any longer.

As they entered the sleak lobby Kyoya felt nervous, but he didn't show it. He never showed it. Their group reached the front desk and the security guard stood up and bowed.

"We're here to see President Greene." stated Yoshio.

The guard looked equal parts confused and nervous. Kyoya's father was an intimidating man.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anyone scheduled to see President Greene today. I'm afraid I can't let you up."

Yoshio cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you know who I am. I am Ootori Yoshio and you will let me pass."

The guard seemed conflicted. The Ootori name was powerful. Not just in terms of their money and prowess, but also their private police force wasn't anything to laugh at. Eventually he nodded and gestured to the elevator.

"Her assistant will be up there. A small red headed woman."

Yoshio led their group without even a passing glance at the guard who still seemed to be grappling with what he just did. The elevator ride was silent. When the doors opened Kyoya caught a glance of red hair at the desk. He grabbed his father's arm and and whispered in his ear.

"Father, perhaps we should wait."

The look that Yoshio shot his youngest was murderous and with a quick shake of his head, he was off and they all followed. Reaching the desk, the woman looked up and pushed her round metal framed glasses back up her nose. Kyoya was momentarily confused. This wasn't Munro. He couldn't say anything to his father at this point. She looked extremely confused and her mouth was open slightly. She let out an undignified "uuhhh…"

"My name is Ootori Yoshio, the head of the Ootori Group and I am here to see President Greene." his father stated in English.

The woman sat back and cocked her head to the side. Kyoya took in her attire. She was wearing extremely high waisted trousers. The fabric looked worn and old. She had a denim shirt tucked in and an oversized tan knitted sweater. Her hair was knotted messily on top of her head. She wasn't wearing foundation based on the redness tingeing her face and the appearance of some faint freckles. The only makeup she appeared to be wearing was a heavy winged eyeliner and a thick coat of mascara on her long eyelashes. Her thick eyebrows looked as if they had been filled in as well. This wasn't the kind of person Kyoya expected to be sat outside of the president of BI Tokyo's office. But then again, BI always seemed oddly relaxed. Their CEO was rarely out of t-shirts and jeans.

"President Greene is not taking any appointments at the moment. She plans on setting up appointments for proposals starting at the end of the week. We ask that you be patient as this is still a transition period for us." she smiled weakly.

Yoshio stood his ground.

"We are here now and will see the president. We have been kept waiting long enough."

The young woman sighed and stood up. Kyoya was surprised at how short she was even in her worn velvet platform shoes. She gestured to the door behind the desk. Yoshio walked right past her and gave a short knock before entering. Kyoya and two of his father's advisors followed suit. The office was not what Kyoya was expecting. It was warm and cozy. He had the fleeting thought that Tamaki would have liked it. There were two chairs in front of a wood desk that was scattered with papers, a large computer screen and keyboard, and mugs held a variety of pens, pencils, and highlighters. The floors were wood, a stark contrast with the modern concrete aesthetic of the rest of the building. Two woven rugs were placed in the room, one under the desk and the other in front of the couch in the corner. They were different patterns, but oddly worked together. The couch was a plush with a knit blanket thrown over the back and mismatched pillows. A coffee table that matched the desk held two coasters with a design Kyoya couldn't make out and a candle that wasn't lit. He noticed a third sat on the desk. A built in bookshelf held lots of books and oddly enough coffee mugs, souvenirs he suspected. It felt more like a cabin than an office. But what was most surprising was that the office was empty save Kyoya and his party.

He heard footsteps coming up from behind, but none of them turned around. To do so would have been a sign of weakness. The secretary walked past them, shoulders back, and head raised. She took a seat behind the desk, propped her feet on its edge, crossed her arms and fixed them with a steely gaze. He could feel his father's advisors shift and become unsettled. Yoshio and Kyoya remained still. That didn't mean Kyoya wasn't already going over all possible ways in which they could, perhaps, leave this meeting all the better. Though, objectively, the most he could really hope for was that they left on some form of neutral ground.

"So...gentleman...what may I ask is so urgent that you felt the need to barge into my building despite direct instructions not to do so?"

Kyoya knew that this was a bad idea.


	3. Chapter 3

"So...gentleman...what may I ask is so urgent that you felt the need to barge into my building, despite direct instructions not to do so?"

Greene sat waiting for a response. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya looked at his father whose face betrayed no emotion. He glanced back at Greene. She was a hard woman to read. She held an almost sardonic smirk on her face and combined with her relaxed posture, she gave off the air of amusement more than anything else. But her eyes...her eyes held a different story. Kyoya had a hard time placing their color, perhaps hazel, but whatever their color, they were steely and unwavering. This wasn't simple annoyance. No. This was game on. The Ootori's had made the first move and had forced her hand, but she didn't appear to be nervous or unsettled. Perhaps this young woman was a worthy adversary. For the first time Kyoya pondered how old this woman actually was. She was young, certainly, maybe even younger than himself. He couldn't imagine a company naming a president who was under 30, but then again, Terry Bane was never one to stick with convention.

"Please forgive the intrusion Mrs. Greene, but we at the Ootori Group are confident that a joint venture between our two companies would be very fruitful. We are anxious to begin negotiations." Yoshio said breaking Kyoya out of his thoughts.

"It's Miss..." Greene said fluttering the fingers on her left hand to indicate the lack of a ring. "And please, Katherine's fine...or Kat, whichever you prefer."

Yoshio nodded his head. Before they could proceed any further, the door swung open and in came another woman with her gaze fixed on a tablet.

"Gabh mo leisgeul! The issue on the 32nd floor's been resolved, but the desks are on backord-..."

Kyoya could only assume that she was switching between Gaelic and English. However, he couldn't be sure as he wasn't very familiar with the former.

The woman looked up and her face went red as she noticed the group of men in the office. "Wha…" she started.

"Flora, the Ootoris decided to stop by and discuss a possible venture."

 _So this was Flora Munro_ thought Kyoya. He guessed that the two women were about the same height, but Flora was wearing high heels decorated with a floral pattern. Colorful didn't even begin to describe the woman. She was wearing bright yellow tights with a patterned skirt and an oversized striped sweater. Kyoya thought she looked like a child who had been allowed to dress herself, but he had to admit that outside of the professional setting of an office the look may be considered fashionable to some people. Not to his taste, surely. He was also surprised by the fact that Munro was staring at them...glaring more like...with her hand on her hip.

"Oh did they now?" she said indignantly; her accent becoming more pronounced.

Greene chuckled.

"Would you mind bringing us some drinks? Tea for me please, Flora." Greene turned to address the visitors. "And for you gentlemen? I'm afraid all I've got is coffee, water, and breakfast tea. I wasn't prepared to have meetings just yet."

"No we are fine, but thank you for the offer." Yoshio answered for them.

Greene nodded and Munro took her leave.

"Now back to the matter at hand." Greene said picking up a c-line bound set of documents from the very top of the pile on the side of her desk. Kyoya recognized the title page as his own proposal. He'd stayed up for nearly three days straight putting it together. His father insisted that he send the document off as soon as possible. He even included both an English and Japanese translation. The Ootori proposal also seemed to be considerably thicker than the rest of the proposals on her desk. Kyoya thought that it was a good sign that his work was at the top of the pile. Greene began to thumb through the document; her face neutral. But, when she looked up her eyes met his, for just a moment, before turning her gaze back to his father.

"This is very impressive and quite detailed considering how fast we received it, even if it does favor your side more than mine, but that's to be expected and I'm sure we can negotiate."

Yoshio was about to speak, but Greene interrupted him with a raise of her hand. Kyoya quickly glimpsed a look at his father, who was clenching his jaw, clearly unused to not being in charge.

"However, this...meeting...does raise some red flags." With that, Greene slipped the proposal back into the stack; not on the top, as it once was, but down three or four places. Kyoya felt his stomach drop. That was intentional. "You aren't very patient, you put yourself and your interests before others, and you're a bit abrasive."

"I like to think of it as being proactive. There is a lot of mutual gain to be had. I don't see the point in waiting when we could be doing so much; things we could already be working on. Unless, that is, if you are unprepared?"

Score one for the Ootoris thought Kyoya. He was interested to see how she handled that particular barb. However, before she could respond there was a knock at the door and Munro came in with a mug of tea with a "Q" on it and a small 10. Scrabble. What an odd choice.

"Tapadh leat, Penny." Greene stated before she took a sip.

Penny...where did that come from? Wasn't her name Flora? Greene didn't seem to be the type of person to forget the name of her secretary that had been in her employ for a number of years, Kyoya thought. Perhaps he misheard and it was part of the Gaelic that he didn't understand, but apparently Greene knew that language; at least conversationally.

"This is your son, is he not? Your youngest if I'm not mistaken" Greene stated casually.

This garnered everyone's attention. This change in the direction of the conversation appeared to confused Yoshio. It confused Kyoya as well. What was this woman playing at? Yoshio nodded his head.

"And is he set to take over from you?"

Kyoya briefly lost control of his perfectly maintained mask before reschooling his features. His father appeared frustrated.

"No. My eldest son is my heir."

"And he is not here during this proactive meeting for our mutual benefit."

"No. My son is a doctor and is currently working in one of our hospitals."

"You wrote this didn't you?" Green asked pulling the proposal back out from the stack. Kyoya hesitated momentarily not expecting to be addressed.

"I did." he answered.

"Whelp" Greene said clapping her hands together and swinging her feet off of her desk. She looked at Kyoya. "You can make an appointment with Flora and set something up. There are some changes that need to be made, but we can go over that then, until we are both happy with it."

"Now, just a mom-" Yoshio began.

"Look...I'm pretty good at reading people Ootori-san. Coming here unannounced and uninvited was obviously your idea. Your son, from what I could see, tried to stop you from doing that...after you exited the elevator. And while he, of course, didn't sign the proposal or anything, he appeared to be the one most concerned with it when I was reading it and moving it about. I'd rather work with him, cut out the middle-man so to speak. I don't see why that's a problem. After all, you're getting what you want. A fast track to a joint venture, before any of the other companies. Of course we will all rejoin once we've worked out the kinks. Do we have an agreement?"

After a brief pause Yoshio nodded.

Greene stood up and walked to the door, gesturing for them to follow.

"You'd better not mess this up Kyoya. Your future within this company depends on it." Yoshio said under his breath in Japanese. Kyoya nodded. "I can't believe we have to deal with this child who doesn't even speak the language of the country she is living in. This whole thing is ridiculous." Yoshio muttered.

Kyoya looked at Greene who gave no indication that she understood what was said.

"Flora! Will you show these men out after setting up an appointment with this man?" Greene said gesturing to Kyoya.

Munro nodded and waved Kyoya over. Greene went back into her office closed the door.

This was going to be interesting, thought Kyoya. Though, he certainly wasn't looking forward to the car ride home with his father who was surely not going to be in a good mood.

Katherine Greene was currently banging her head repeatedly on her desk. This was not going the way she had planned. Engaging with the Ootori's this early, needed to start figuring all of this out. She heard Flora's familiar footsteps walking across the office and taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Well that could have gone better. Do ya think it was good idea being a wee bit smart with the head of the Ootori Group?"

Kat lifted her head and looked at Flora.

"And how do you know that I was a bit smart with the oh-so-powerful Yoshio Ootori?"

"Please...I was listening at the door."

"We need to have a talk about your professionalism."

"No we don't."

Kat chuckled and leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling.

"Why'd you want to work with the son any how?"

"Because I knew it would piss of Ootori senior. Apparently he's been dangling the company over Kyoya's head for years, but as the third son, it wouldn't look the best if he took over, despite his obvious aptitude for it. He uses Kyoya as a pawn to get great work done without losing face. If word gets out that Kyoya is working directly with the new president of BI-Tokyo, people will start to talk. He'll be publically giving his third son more responsibility. People will talk. And besides, I'd rather be in the same room as Yoshio as little as possible."

"And how do you know all of that?"

"Hanami gave me a pretty good lesson before I started here. She said Kyoya was always meticulous and calculating...they apparently called him the Shadow King. They don't expect me to know these things, hell they don't even think that I speak Japanese. I plan on using everything I have to my advantage. I'm going to need it."

Katherine pulled up at her house and turned off her car. It was past 8:00 at night and she was tired. Having to prepare for the upcoming meeting with Kyoya Ootori was taking up a lot of her time, along with everything else she had to do. Not every floor and department was completely set up. She sat in the car trying to work up the energy to get out and go in the house. The overhead light dimmed. Kat's phone began to ring and she fished it out of her bag.

"Hey Hana. How are you dear?"

"I'm great! How about you? Not working too late now are you?"

"Ehh… No of course not!" Kat lied as she got out of the car and headed to the door.

"You sure about that Kat?"

"Umm...yeah…?

Kat turned her key and stepped inside. She tossed her keys into the bowl on the end table in her entry way.

"Oh really?"

Kat let out a shriek. The voice wasn't coming from the phone in her hand, but her living room.

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! Hanami! You scared the crap out of me! What the hell?"

"I thought I'd surprise you." Hana said stifling a laugh.

"Well...mission accomplished!" Kat threw her arms in the air in exasperation.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for work."

"Since when does your firm take international cases?"

"They don't. Actually I got a new job with a firm here, so I hope that you're okay with being roomies for a bit while I look for a place of my own, preferably close by."

Kat squealed and ran to embrace her friend.

"How did you even get in here?"

"Flora gave me a spare key and got some people to help me move my stuff in."

"What would I do without that woman? This calls for a celebration. I'll break out the Jameson!"

"Sounds like a plan!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hanami sat back on the sofa with her legs stretched out on the ottoman; ankles crossed. She was staring into her mug of tea with a couple of splashes of whiskey in it. Kat was asleep curled up in the armchair. The two had talked for a couple of hours-the day coupled with three fingers of whiskey had caught up with Kat. Hanami considered waking her friend up and getting her into her bed, but Kat always had trouble sleeping; she never seemed able to turn her mind off. She used to joke that the only reason Kat finished off degrees early was because she didn't sleep. But that wasn't true. Hanami always believed her friend to be brilliant, a term Kat was never comfortable with.

"I'm not Spencer Reid Hanami. I just tested out of some gen ed classes and I'm good at talking people into letting me overload my semesters." she would say.

"And that's why you don't have a social life, because you're always working."

"Well I've got you now don't I?"

They graduated together. Kat had been part of a program that allowed one to get a BA and MA in five years. She finished in four.

Neither quite knew what to do after graduation. While graduating young seemed like a good idea at the time, most people weren't looking to hire someone who was just shy of twenty. Graduate school seemed to be Kat's only option-she could get her PhD and be funded (while it was not a lot of money, it was enough to live off of). For Hanami, a degree in her world was more of a technicality. Her family did not really expect her to have a career. Her father's heir was his younger brother, then his nephew. He was old fashioned. A male would have to inherit. And apparently his daughter would have an arranged marriage.

She had been young and still in love with her high school crush even though she had barely spoken to him in two years. She saw Mori-senpai at a couple of functions when she came home for the summer, they exchanged greetings but nothing more. She was always too nervous to try and strike up a conversation. When her father called her and said that she was to marry a man eight years her senior that she had barely said more than ten words to, she refused. Her "betrothed" seemed to be a good man, the age difference wasn't that significant, and he was from a good family, but she was not ready to give up on her fantasy, the thing she had been daydreaming about since her first year of highschool. She told her father no and he said that he understood that it was sudden, but he would give her time to come to her senses. But she made it clear that this wasn't something that she would be changing her mind anytime soon. They hung up and Hanami thought that was that. But, a few days later her father called and said that if she was not going to be an obedient daughter, then she was no longer part of the family. He was taking her apartment, closing her bank accounts, and would no longer be paying for her education-or-she could get married. And still, she said no. It was a brash decision made out of hurt and anger, but it was something that she would never regret.

That one phone call changed everything, and while her life became difficult, more difficult than she could have ever imagined, she could without a second thought say that she was happy. Kat became her family and with her came Francis who welcomed her with open arms. Their makeshift family was warm and comfortable, never judgemental, and exceedingly loyal-something Hanami wasn't used to but found that, now, it was something that she couldn't live without.

Sometimes she felt like Kat's shadow, but Kat was the one her taught her two very important, though antithetical, lessons: how to stand on her own two feet and how to lean on others when she needed them. She leaned on Kat hard for the first year. Sometimes she worried that Kat would feel like she was raising a child. Hanami didn't realize just how much she didn't know: cooking, laundry, basic banking, taxes, how to get a job (and keep a job for that matter), how to save money and live on a budget, how to haggle with vendors at the farmer's market and second hand clothing stores. So when Kat mentioned that she thought her only real option was graduate school, it sounded like a good idea to Hanami.

She got a BA in philosophy because it sounded dignified and she found it interesting, but didn't really plan on making a career out of it. However, it led her to law school and for once in her life she felt truly passionate about something. Now at Columbia, a law student and a medieval lit student, it was Hanami's turn to teach something to Kat. Hanami encouraged Kat to go out and socialize. Kat hated parties and felt out of place if Hanami wasn't at her side. She found it difficult to start conversations with strangers or interject into already formed groups. But Hanami had been trained to do things like that her whole life. Kat really came out of her shell during that time. It was beneficial, especially with how her life was now. In a position like Kat's, she had to know how to work a room.

Hanami thought Kat would end up being a professor somewhere prestigious and write extraordinary books in her field. But, just before Kat finished her PhD (which she completed in three years) her brother got a job as Terry Bane's personal bodyguard. Terry and Francis become friends easily. Terry never seemed to create a divide between employer and employee. Kat visited her brother at work often and she was invited to BI functions and even Terry's personal gatherings.

She remembered Kat coming home one night, something obviously bothering her. She sat on the fire escape with a mug of tea staring out at the night sky. Hanami had made her stop going up on the roof. Kat would sit up there for hours if something was bothering her. She said she could see things better from up high, so she thought better.

"Terry offered me job." she had said, breaking the silence. "I think I'm going to take it. It's not what I ever imagined myself doing, but damn it if Terry can't be convincing. If I'm going to move up in the company I'm going to have to go back to school and get an MBA. BI can do so many amazing things...clean energy, smart farming, medical technology...Terry's brilliant."

"So you've thought about it then."

"Yes...hell, I'm still thinking about it."

Things had been good. Kat worked and went to school. For the first time getting a degree took the allotted amount of time, actually a bit extra. But she thrived there. Just as Hanami found law, Kat found BI. They both loved their jobs and the people they worked with. When Kat was promoted to the head of PR Terry offered her an apartment in the BI tower in Manhattan. She turned it down, not wanting to leave Hanami, or Brooklyn for that matter. But they did upgrade to a nicer apartment.

A year or so later, a man that moved in similar circles as her father, Watanabe-san, had offered Hanami a position in his firm. Apparently, he had been a friend of one her previous professors at Columbia. She turned him down. Hanami wasn't ready to face Japan. Not yet at least.

Then came Terry's Tokyo offer. Hanami found Kat on the roof (she'd left a note). She'd told her about Tokyo. She said she wouldn't go-not if Hanami needed her. But Hanami wouldn't hear of it. They'd had a good cry together, the city moving beneath them.

Calling Watanabe-san was an easy choice, but one she did some serious thinking about. She didn't want to get Kat's hopes up in case it all fell through, but luckily there was a major crimes case involving suspected mob members and embezzlement and he needed all of the help he could get. Truth be told, the older Hanami got, the more she missed home. She missed her sister. Kotoko's facebook was private and she had long be ufriended, but on occasion, when Hanami was feeling particularly low, she would look at the picture that changed sporadically. That's how she watched her baby sister grow up-a small picture on a screen. Hanami tried to call, text, email, but had received no response. She hoped this radio silence was out of fear, fear of ending up penniless like her, and not for another reason. Did she hate her? Was she ashamed? Hanami had no idea. She also couldn't be sure what her father told her mother and sister, and the rest of Japan for that matter, about what had transpired between them.

She knew that it was impossible to just show up at her parents house; she couldn't actively seek them out. But she was done hiding. Finishing up her undergrad, her time at law school, and for a couple of years following, going back home wasn't an option. She simply didn't have the money. Airfare was not cheap. Then, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to go back. Back to the place that abandoned her. But with Kat going there, she would have a friend at least...she would have a family.

Hanami explained all of this to Kat as they chatted over drinks. They talked about Hanami's new job and how she was due to start next week-excited to be taking on such a major case. They talked about about the Ootoris as well: their visit, the upcoming meeting with Kyoya, and the project itself.

"Be careful there Kat." Hanami had warned.

"What? With Kyoya? Honestly, we both need this to go well. It's not like he's going to be looking to screw something up. It's mutually advantageous."

"Not with Kyoya, with his father. He's an...well an odd man. It's hard to tell what he's really after."

"Well...he wanted a meeting...and he got one. It was a good way of ensuring that the Ootori Group was the medical company that we worked with. It's not like I could just throw him out. The most I could do show some gumption-try and rattle him a bit, but as soon as they stepped in that door, it was game over. Business is aggressive anywhere-but this is entitlement like I've never seen."

"It just seems weird to me. Don't let your guard down. Oh! And before I forget. I asked Jack to keep an eye on Francis...subtly of course...bit still. I don't want you to worry."

Kat peered at Hanami mischievously.

"Don't look at like that. We're just friends now."

"You two made a good couple."

"We did...until we realized that we didn't see forever in each other...and if you try to push me back with Jack then prepare for me to start trying to hook you up. God...when was the last time you went on a date?"

"Okay, fine...let's change the subject."

"That's what I thought…"

They'd talked about mundane things then: outings they wanted to take together, groceries they needed to buy, and Hanami moving in, but how the situation wouldn't be permanent. They knew they couldn't live together forever. It was high time they stopped using one another as a crutch...as support yes, but they had become entirely too dependent on one another-something they both knew, but wouldn't say aloud.

Watching Kat as she dozed, Hanami thought about Ouran and the fact that Kat had already met one of the members of the illustrious host club. Hanami never paid much mind to the youngest Ootori-he wasn't showy and rarely actually hosted. She had no idea what he was actually like behind that polite mask, but she had an odd feeling that he and Kat would get along. Maybe not friends per say...but friendly at least…that or they would be at each other's throats. It was funny how two people could toe that line.

A/N: Wealhtheow1, thanks so much for the lovely review and the constructive criticism. I totally agree and I'm still working out the kinks. Yoshio can be a difficult character to navigate (for me at least) and sometimes it's hard to know just what motivates him. I hope you like this chapter!

~Wren


	5. Chapter 5

Kat sat at her desk getting everything in order for her meeting with Kyoya Ootori. It would be preliminary of course; setting the groundwork for how the two companies would work together: how many projects did they see the companies working on together, what sort of projects, government grants, how funds and profits would be allocated, publicity, ect. There were lots of eggs that needed to be placed in different baskets. Negotiations would be at the forefront of the of all forthcoming meetings. Things would never be as simple as splitting resources, intellectual property, profits….whatever...right down the middle. Kat knew that Ootori would be a hard man to budge, but she was confident that they would come to some sort of agreement, though is sure as hell wouldn't be quick.

Kyoya Ootori wasn't the only person she had to deal with; afterall she still and the entire Tokyo branch of BI to run. Things were coming together quite nicely. They'd almost finished moving everybody in to the tower, though it was an organizational nightmare. Her world didn't stop just because the Ootoris wanted to get into bed with BI...probably not the best choice of words. But for today, Kyoya Ootori had her undivided attention.

xxxxx

Straightening his shirtsleeves, Kyoya stepped into the elevator. He couldn't help but feel a bit happy with the way things had turned out, but nervous just the same. Not that he felt like he couldn't do the job, but there was a lot riding on this. His father had made that abundantly clear. He and Yoshio (along with some of the other higher ups of the Ootori group) and set down and had come up with some points that were non-negotiable along with strategies for negotiations. After, Yoshio had a few choice words with his son about how important this contract was and how beneficial it would be. That was followed by a not so veiled threat that if Kyoya screwed this up he would never be take over the company. But what irked Kyoya, and what always bothered him was that nothing would ever be good enough or substantial enough to merit a promise of the company. Even if this went well, it was no guarantee that Kyoya would be named his father's successor. He'd been fighting for this his whole life and it felt like he was getting nowhere. All of his friends now had major positions in their family's companies. Tamaki was now working alongside his father everyday. He was being groomed to take over. The twins were practically running the design company. Their mother was still active on the business side of things. Huni and Mori were bound to take over as well. Even Haruhi had achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer. She worked civic cases and was doing quite well. And Kyoya felt stagnant. If this deal with BI went well and nothing changed, Kyoya was going to have to reassess his strategy with his father.

Kyoya was pulled out of his revery by the opening of of the elevator doors. He stepped through and straightened his tie.

"Miss. Munro, good morning." he said politely in English.

"Ohayou gozaimazu." Flora said, heavily accented, stood and gave a short bow.

Kyoya couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was wearing a sweatshirt with lemons on it and denim overall dress and green heels. Her hair was done up in two buns on the top her head, giving her a Mickey Mouse appearance.

"Oh...did I say that wrong? I've been taking classes, but my pronunciation isn't always the best."

"No, you said it right Miss. Munro."

"Flora...please. Can I get you anything? I've got all kinds of tea, coffee, water-flat or sparkling…?" she said switching back to her Scottish timbre.

Kyoya was about to answer when Flora interrupted him, waving her hands to stop.

"No, no let me guess…earl grey...splash of milk?"

"...With honey actually."

"Ack! It's always something. I'll bring it to you in two ticks. You can go on in, just give a knock."

And with that she hurried down the corridor, to kitchen Kyoya expected. He did as he was instructed and went in Greene's office when she called to enter. Her hair was up in a bun again, but this time she had a grey silk scarf tied around her head. Her grey sweater was too big based on how the shoulder seam fell further down than the top of her shoulders. He couldn't understand how someone in her position could take so little care of her appearance.

"Miss. Greene." Kyoya said with a nod of his head.

"Kat...please. Miss. Greene makes me feel old." she answered and gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

"Then please call me Kyoya." he offered (not because he actually felt so inclined, but because it would seem rude to not offer the same level of informality in return).

He sat down, unbuttoning his suit jacket, and adjusted his glasses. At that moment Flora came in with two mugs of tea. Kyoya took his standard BI promotional mug and gave his thanks. Flora handed Greene a mug with Wonder Woman on it. She grabbed Flora's arm.

"Don't forget...drinks tonight...me you and Hana."

"Like I'd forget." she replied and pushed her shoulder.

She had drinks with her secretary? Kyoya found that most odd. But moving to the other side of the world, perhaps she needed someone to socialize with and Flora was the person she knew best here. But Hannah? Kyoya had poured over files of BI Tokyo's employees and he couldn't remember a Hannah. If it was someone Greene was close with at BI, then he needed to figure out who she was and what she did in the company.

"Cheers Moneypenny." Greene called with a raise of her mug.

"Did she get your drink of choice right?" Greene said turning her attention back to him. "I'm always curious to see who she gets pegged."

"She got the right tea, just not how I take it."

"She'll be miffed about that all day. She started doing that about eight months after we started working together and has gotten quite good at it."

Kyoya smiled and nodded. He was unused to small talk before a meeting. Most people just wanted to get down to business.

There was a short silence and Greene's cheeks started to turn a bit red.

"Alright, so let's get started." she said after clearing her throat. Greene pulled out a the original proposal that now had small tabs in various places. Kyoya pulled out his own copy from his briefcase.

"Let's begin."

xxxxx

"You realize that we've been at this for over two hours and we've only agreed on two points." Greene said taking off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Actually, I don't think that we fully sussed out that last point."

Kat glared at him, but then she started to laugh, which surprised Kyoya.

"You know I heard that you were a real hard ass, but this is ridiculous." she said with a short laugh.

Kyoya was taken aback for a moment. He was a bit startled by her crass comment. But when he looked at her, her eyes held a playful look. She let out a another chuckle and pushed her glasses back on.

"Who told you that?"

"Told me what?" she said, cocking her head to the side.

"That I'm a...how did you put it...a hard ass?"

"I have my sources."

She stood up abruptly and quickly straightened all of the papers strown around her desk.

"Come on then! Grab your stuff."

Kyoya remained where he was at just stared at her. She was pulling her bag on her shoulder. Kat looked at him she seemed a bit confused as to why he wasn't following suit.

"I wasn't aware that we would be meeting with other people." If she thought that she was going to strongarm him by bringing other people into this meeting than she was mistaken. He would go with her of course. He had to be polite and couldn't refuse, but he could get a bit of information before he headed off to the lion's den. However, Kyoya felt a bit glib if he was honest. If she was already resorting to tactics like this, then Kyoya knew that he was getting under her skin. Hell, she had already resorted to name calling.

"What?...Oh...no! I just thought we could pop out for a bit...change of scenery you know. Clear our heads."

She was shifting her weight from side to side as if she had become suddenly nervous. She was worrying her lip with her teeth. Kyoya looked at her then. Really looked at her. She was wearing shorts for God's sake-with tights and worn combat boots. A president of a major company wearing Doc Martens and clothes that didn't quite fit. _She's so small_ he thought briefly. Kat Greene couldn't be more than 160 cm. And her clothes and expression made her appear childlike.

"Now come on." she said putting a smile on her face. She began nudging his shoulder repeatedly. Kyoya was suddenly reminded of Tamaki who would literally shake him until he complied to his request. What was her game?

"We've been here for two hours and seventeen minutes...and you want to take a break."

She stopped with the gentle nudging and dropped her hand to her side. She looked slightly annoyed.

"Do you realize how exasperating you are?"

Kyoya didn't have a response to that.

"Look, you can either come with me or I leave you here with Flora, whose main task for today is finding me a dresses for all of these upcoming parties that I have to go to."

"I could always leave and we can reschedule for when your head is a bit clearer."

"Oh for God's sake, don't make this a power play. This meeting was scheduled to last all day, obviously there was going to be breaks. Also, what will dear old dad say if you leave now, only two hours and...what...seventeen minutes? That wouldn't look great...so move your ass Ootori, let's go."

She slapped his shoulder lightly with the back of her hand and headed out of the door.

And Kyoya, despite himself, followed.

xxxxx

Kyoya Ootori was exhausting. But, despite everything, Kat was actually enjoying herself. Kyoya knew how to play hardball and it was intellectually stimulating. But Kat had to get out of that office. They weren't getting anywhere; they were both too stubborn. She was usually quite good at negotiations. Usually the people that gave her the most problems were men who had problems seeing a woman as an equal, or sometimes a superior. But those cases were easily resolved; show them that she couldn't be bossed around and that she knew more than them. It was simple, dealing with rude people. But Kyoya was annoyingly polite. Hanami had told her that Kyoya could probably charm Lucifer himself if he wanted to; Kat expected that he would use flattery or some of those famous host club skills, but what she got was a wall of politeness. He never showed any real emotion and Kat couldn't get a read off of him. It was unnerving and frustrating. Kat thought that if they could get more comfortable with each other, maybe their work would go more smoothly. It's not like they were getting much work done anyway. This whole process was going to take much longer than she had planned if things stayed the way they were.

Reaching the outside of the BI building, Kyoya stopped, much to Kat's confusion.

"What're you doing?"

"I can call for my car or we can take yours if you wish."

"...or we can walk...there's a coffee shop like three blocks away." she said pointing in the general direction.

Kyoya gestured for her to lead to way.

 _What is it with rich people and always taking a car?_ Kat thought. She took the subway back in New York.

They walked in silence. Kat couldn't think of much to talk about. She figured she'd save what little she had for when they sat down at the cafe. _God...maybe I haven't thought this through._ Most people she did this with were older, were married with kids, and could always talk about their home life. Or they could find common interests, like Star Trek. _Kyoya Ootori doesn't look like much of a Trekkie. What if we just sit there in silence or could only talk about the weather? They should have just stayed in the office; at least then they were speaking._

Kat pulled herself out of her thoughts, having reached the cafe. She almost walked past it; thank God she didn't. That would have been embarrassing.

Kyoya assessed the establishment, and let out a small sigh. Kat would have missed it if she hadn't been looking. But, he opened the door for her and ushered her in.

A/N: a big thanks to LadyMimi101 for your lovely review

~Wren


	6. Chapter 6

_Why am I walking into a chain cafe? What is this woman doing...or thinking for that matter?_ Kyoya thought. Usually if you were going to take a business partner or client somewhere, it was a bit more upscale. But Greene looked as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

Greene had found them a table next to a window with relatively few people around. She was unwinding the red tartan scarf from around her neck that she had donned before leaving BI.

"I'll go and order for us if you would like?" Kyoya offered politely. _God forbid we go somewhere with actual wait staff. Besides, she can't just expect to order in English._

"Oh sure-umm...a chai latte and whatever pastry doesn't have fruit in it." she answered a bit hesitantly. Kyoya nodded and headed to the counter.

He could catch flashes of nervousness (which he would categorize as weakness) in Greene. She didn't hide discomfort well-a lack of maturity or confidence-Kyoya couldn't tell. To be in a position so high profile and demanding, she seemed oddly innocent. Wide-eyed. That is not to say that Kyoya didn't believe her to be competent, the opposite in fact. During their short time together, Kyoya could tell that she was obviously intelligent. Greene had been extremely prepared for their meeting, as was he. That was part of the problem during their meeting. Usually Kyoya was the most informed person in the room and he could use that to his advantage, tearing down his opponent's defenses so to speak. He couldn't do that with Greene. Every law, policy, examples of similar ventures and their structures, facts, and statistics, she knew as well. Whenever she blocked one of Kyoya's demands, he wouldn't show that it bothered him, he would just politely ask what her views were on the point at hand. However, if their roles were reversed, Greene would furrow her brow, poke out her bottom lip slightly, and cross her arms. For God's sake the woman would actually pout. It was subtle, not a full blown Tamaki tantrum, but she did it. Had no one told her that she shouldn't show her emotions when negotiating? But despite her tells, Kyoya found it, unfortunately, made little difference. He was frustrated as well, but unlike Greene, he would never show it.

He ordered for the both of them. The worker was efficient, if a bit lackluster, which pleased Kyoya. He hated when staff was over enthusiastic or asked him he wanted to try new things. It wouldn't be the most high quality cup of coffee, but at least it wasn't instant.

Returning to their table, he found Greene staring out of the window, watching the busy street. She smiled at him when he sat down.

"Thanks for that. I'll get it next time."

 _Fuck, we have to do this again_? thought Kyoya.

"So...what would you like to talk about?" Greene asked.

"Perhaps we could go over joint site locations?"

"No...no...I meant not...you know...work related. I thought if we got to know each other...maybe working together would be...easier."

Kyoya took a calming breath.

"I thought you already knew things about me...from your source?"

Her gaze turned steely for a second before relaxing.

"Wouldn't you rather me make my own judgements? It's second hand information, even though I trust it. Besides...it's a bit dated...if I'm honest."

 _So...whoever this person is...Greene's protective of them. That could be useful, if I ever figure out who it_ , Kyoya mused. _God this is going to be annoying. It feels like Tamaki all over. At least she doesn't seem obsessed with Japanese culture...and she's a lot less...bouncy._

"I can go first if you like...you can ask me anything."

She'd gone shifty again.

He wanted to ask her why she dressed the way she did, why they were at this stupid coffee shop, what person, who was presumably from his past, did they both know, and how _getting to know him better_ was going to help them sign a contract? Of course he couldn't ask any of those. He didn't want to get too personal because he didn't want her to feel like she could get personal with him.

"Why do you call your assistant Penny?"

She let out a short bark of a laugh.

"Of all the things...I call her Moneypenny, Penny for short sometimes."

"Yes...but why?"

She looked taken aback for a second and then busting out laughing. Every time she went to speak or made eye contact with him-she couldn't stop giggling. She took her glasses off and rubbed at some of the water forming in her eyes. Her cheeks were red and her neck and chest were splotchy.

"I'm sorry...I don't mean to laugh...but do you seriously not know who that is? Have you never seen a Bond film?"

"No, I don't believe I have." Kyoya said adjusting his glasses.

She look at him dubiously before smirking.

"I'll keep the pop culture references to a minimum then."

She began to tear off pieces of her cinnamon scone and pop them into her mouth.

"So...what are you going to ask me then?"

"Hmmm….favorite place you've ever been?"

 _So they were just going to play twenty questions?_ He asked himself.

"How is that going to help me make out my character?"

She shrugged and sipped her tea.

"It's not...not really, but sometimes I find it easier to work with with someone when I'm able to have a normal conversation with them first...feel them out you know?

"And do you consider this a normal conversation?"

Greene pondered that for a moment.

"Probably not...but I don't think most people would consider me exactly...normal." she shrugged and gave a small smile. "Sorry if this is weird…you're just...this just isn't going as smoothly as I had hoped...which doesn't happen that often. And sometimes that office can feel a bit claustrophobic. We don't have to stay long...and you don't have to answer anything...not if you don't want to...you're right though...bit awkward isn't it?"

She was looking down at her mug, running her thumb across the rim.

Again with the vulnerability. Did she want him to feel sorry for her so that maybe he would go easy on her?

"Honestly, I'm not sure if I would call any place I've been a favorite. I've been places that I've enjoyed and liked, but nowhere stands out as a favorite...same question."

"There's this town, along the ring of Kerry in Ireland...which most things around there are just absolutely beautiful...places to get out of your car and hike around...but anyway. I was driving along and wanted to stop for lunch and I found Sneem. Stopped at this little restaurant and had the most amazing vegetable soup...weird thing to be impressed by...but still. It was right beside the river. Just a quiet little town. I don't know. It was the first place that I thought 'I could live here and be happy.' Never really had that thought before."

"You didn't like New York?"

"I liked New York, but I wouldn't exactly call it home. For me home is people. I went to New York for school; stayed because of my best friend and also my brother got a steady job there that didn't involve traveling."

"And what does your brother do?"

"Francis? Oh...currently he's Terry's head of security. That's how I met Terry initially."

Well that was certainly new information. Kyoya made a mental note to look into that further.

They were both silent for a bit. Drinking their beverages and eating their pastries.

"Will you do me a favor?" Greene said breaking the silence.

Kyoya looked at her and gave a small nod.

"When you find your favorite place...will you let me know where it is?"

Kyoya nodded his head.

Xxxxx

Kat rolled her neck and took hold of her whiskey and ginger ale. Hana was nursing a martini and Flora was off chatting with a group of girls across the bar. _Barely speaks the language and she can make friends_ Kat thought dryly.

"So how did the meeting with Ootori go?" Hana asked.

"We managed to get some stuff done...not a whole lot, but at least what we do have locked down won't be subject to change because we beat it to death."

"What do you think of him?"

"Dunno….he's polite, that's for damn sure. Had his walls up all day. I could tell when things annoyed him, but just barely and because I was really looking for it. It's just easier to get things done when you're more open. It's easier to see what is really important to the other person you know?"

"That's your problem right there. Everything is important to them. Any loss on their side or any aspect that doesn't lean in their favor is a failure. Ootori is definitely going to be under a lot of pressure from his dad."

"I made him go out for a coffee and we basically played twenty questions. It helped...just a tad, but he now knows a lot more about me that I do him."

"Do you think that's wise opening up like that. He'll probably find a way to use it against you."

"That's his problem. He's playing this out like I'm another Japanese bigwig. I'm not. I'm just Kat. I don't have any skeletons in a closet and anything he digs up isn't like I'm going to be embarrassed by it. We'll...I'm sure there are things that are embarrassing, but nothing blackmail worthy. If he thinks he's going to use something to threaten my reputation, well, I'd have to actually have a reputation to being with...I don't know I guess I'm just rambling. God! It's like talking to a polite robot most of the time. And do you know that he's never seen a Bond film? Like...none of them. They're classics and the new ones are huge!"

"You realize that I had never seen a Bond film either until you made me watch them."

Kat shot Hana a dirty look.

"Well anyways," Hana continued. "If you think he's not working smart with you, treating you like he'd treat someone from his world, then you've made the same mistake by doing the same with him."

Kat let out a groan and put her head in her hands.

"I know! But I don't understand him at all. I've dealt with assholes, with nice people, smart people and people that didn't know what the hell they're talking about and I've done fine. Kyoya's obviously smart but I don't know if he's a nice person. I don't know his personality. I just don't get it."

"You're sounding a bit childish. You don't actually need to know those things about a person to do business."

"But I do! These advances that we are working toward could potentially save lives, it's important. But the technologies that we're creating could do equally awful things."

"What and you think the Ootoris are evil masterminds hell bent on world domination. Maybe you've been watching too many Bond films."

"Christ! Of course not. All I'm saying is that we have a responsibility to people, to do right by them. I have to be able to trust the people I'm working with. I have to know that not only do they understand that responsibility but believe in it as well. The most important thing shouldn't be profits."

"Have you talked about that?"

"What am I supposed to say: 'Hey just want to be sure that you realize how impactful these projects can be for people, just wanted to make sure that this isn't purely about the bottom line for you? Just checking, but are you actually a decent human being?'"

Kat signaled the bartender for another drink.

"Again, I think you're worrying too much. If you think they might potentially overcharge patients, address that head on, make it part of the deal. Seriously, I think you're making this out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. They're hard asses yes, but you can't actually think that they're vying for some kind of Elysium-esc future. Paranoid doesn't suit you Kat."

"Well, I didn't think people would leave a twenty-year-old woman homeless, alone, and with no money, but hey, that happened!" Kat said throwing her arms up in exasperation.

Hanami let out a sigh.

"You bring that into everything since you came to Japan Katherine, you can't judge people based on what happened to me."

"No one did anything." Kat whispered hanging her head.

"I know, but you're more fixated on it than I am. You need to let it go. Don't hold people accountable, except maybe my parents." Hanami rubbed Kat's back soothingly.

It was then that Flora popped on the bar stool beside Hana.

"I actually held a conversation in Japanese! Well...mostly Japanese...they spoke some English and helped me out...but still!"

Kat and Hana offered their congratulations. Flora spent all of her free time learning the language and insisted on ordering at restaurants or exchanging pleasantries with shop clerks. It was a slow process, but she was getting better.

"What are we talking about?" Flora said after sipping her gin and tonic.

"Kyoya Ootori." Hana responded.

"Ooo he's cute!"

Kat looked at her incredulously.

"What? He is!"

"That boy has been handsome since high school. There is no denying that." Hana chuckled. "You can't say he isn't good looking Kat."

"Fine. He is attractive. Shit personality, but attractive."

"Nuh-uh, he's nice. He smiles at me when he walks past, most people ignore the assistant. I like him." Flora defended.

"You gonna ask him out then Flor?" Kat teased.

Flora giggled and shook her head.

"He's not really my type...and I don't think I'm his. Maybe you should Kat."

Kat inhaled sharply, causing her to choke on her drink. She coughed as the alcohol burned the back of her throat.

"What the hell Flora?"

"He's totally you're type: smart, wears glasses, tall...well...tall-ish...his voice is ridiculous, and I bet deep down he's pretty sarcastic. Come on Hanami, back me up."

Kat glared at the women, shaking her head.

"I, personally, think you two would make an adorable couple. But my opinion may be fueled by the fact that you've been single for way to fucking long."

Kat shoved Hanami's shoulder and laughed.

Xxxxxx

Kyoya was mentally tired after his dealings with Greene, but instead of going home, he was heading to the Hitachiin estate. All of these years later and still, whenever Tamaki calls, they all show up. Tamaki was paranoid for a while that after high school (and even college to an extent) their family would grow a part. So, even with their busy schedules they still made time to meet up and hang out.

He made his way to the back patio where the group already had a small fire going. As usual, he was the last one to arrive.

"Mon ami! You're finally here!"

The two friends hugged each other and when they pulled a part, Kyoya asked: "Where's my godson tonight?"

"He's with his grandfather. We needed a break." answered Haruhi as Kyoya came over to kiss her on the cheek.

"What about Reiko?" Kyoya asked taking a seat next to Huni.

"She was feeling pretty tired and decided to stay home and rest. This pregnancy seems to be a bit more difficult than the first, but the doctors say that everything is normal, though she shouldn't push herself too hard."

Kyoya nodded taking in that information.

"Maybe next time we can meet at your home so that she doesn't have to travel."

"That's a great idea Kyo-chan. I'm sure she'll really appreciate that."

"So...what's going on with you Kyoya?" asked Kaoru.

"I spent the day at the new Bane Industries office working with the president trying to strike a deal on a joint venture...medical technology. The president...we'll she's difficult."

"How so?" Haruhi asked interestedly.

"She's extremely good at her job, which was surprising to be honest. She's young, probably younger than me. But...she acts like we have to be friends in order to work together, which is ridiculous. She made us take time away from our meeting to have coffee...and chat. She dresses like she's going grocery shopping instead of a high profile job. She's emotional...she shows signs of annoyance and frustration, but I can't find a way to use it." Kyoya let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

"She seems to be getting under your skin."

Kyoya shot Haruhi a dirty look.

"It's nothing I can't handle" Kyoya replied dryly.

"Is she hot?" Hikaru chimed in.

Everyone turned to look at the eldest twin who just shrugged his shoulders. Then they all turned to Kyoya for an answer.

"I don't know. She's certainly not ugly. She has red hair, she's pretty pale with freckles...about Haruhi's height."

"But is she beautiful?" Tamaki asked enthusiastically.

Kyoya shook his head at his friend's remark and took off his glasses.

"Ok...what part of her do you find the most attractive?" supplied Kaoru.

Kyoya thought for a while before answering.

"Her eyes. They're an odd color, but pleasing...and very expressive. Which is helpful for figuring out what she's thinking...really long eyelashes too."

"You think she's pretty!" shouted Tamaki jumping out of his seat.

"Calm down idiot. I never said that."

Tamaki sat down, dejected. Haruhi laughed under her breath and grabbed her husband's hand. They smiled at each other and Kyoya found himself smiling as well. They were so in love and so happy. Who knew that a broken vase could bring so much joy.

The conversation shifted naturally. They talked of many things: the upcoming birth of Huni's second child, the twins' new line, Haruhi's cases (what she could disclose at least), Tamaki's poor attempts to teach his three year old son the piano, and Mori's charity for abandoned animals.

The night winded down and Kyoya was walking toward the driveway. He felt someone walking up behind him. Expecting Tamaki, he turned abruptly, but was met with Mori's tall figure. Mori placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The last person to get under your skin was Tamaki."

And with that, Mori left, leaving Kyoya very confused.


End file.
